View full sizeRusty Costanza, The Times-Picayune archiveThe City Council members say their concerns about plans for a Loyola Avenue spur of the Canal Street streetcar line have been addressed.

Councilwomen Jackie Clarkson, Susan Guidry, Stacy Head and Kristin
Gisleson Palmer said the RTA's plans ignored concerns that council
members had expressed about the proposed locations of the line's tracks
and stops, including their wish to have the tracks run in a separate
lane reserved only for streetcars and emergency vehicles.

They said the line's alignment also conflicted with the city's
master plan, making the design illegal, and said the RTA had
"repeatedly discounted or ignored valuable public input."

They also charged the RTA with planning to artificially pump up
ridership numbers on the new line by forcing passengers on many bus
lines to transfer to streetcars to get to Canal Street.

In the face of such scathing criticism from elected officials, the
city's chances of getting the $45 million in federal money needed to
build the line could have been in deep trouble.

But a week later, RTA General Manager Justin Augustine responded
with an 11-page, point-by-point rebuttal of each of the council
members' numerous complaints.

And on the same day, the four councilwomen sent a new letter to
Augustine and, significantly, the Federal Transit Administration saying
that Augustine's letter was "sufficient to address our concerns" and
their original comments should not be taken as "justification for a
finding of significant impact" -- in other words, a reason for the FTA
to withhold its money.

Even though their original five-page letter excoriated the RTA's
plans for the new line, the council members said the letter was "in no
way intended to suggest any displeasure or dissatisfaction" with the
Loyola project. It was, they said, meant only to "provoke thoughtful
debate and discussion."

In his letter, Augustine said city officials and council members had
agreed in April to proceed with current track designs, postponing a
decision on whether to create a transit-only lane until after the city
does a comprehensive traffic study. He said the plans don't violate the
master plan's land-use guidelines and, in any case, the master plan
does not control federally financed capital projects.

He denied that the RTA has ignored public comments and said no
decisions have been made on whether various RTA bus lines will continue
running to Canal Street or will end at the Union Passenger Terminal on
Loyola, although his comments suggested that the RTA considers the
terminal to be a logical transfer place for many transit riders.